


"Keep it Up, Okay? I Love You."

by ImGayandTired20



Series: Soulmate Works [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Also Lance and Curtis are besties in this fic!!, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, But yeah lol this one's a strange one, M/M, Multi, Mute(ish) character, Where's all my polyamory fics at??, lets goooo, you'll see - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-17 02:01:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29092428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImGayandTired20/pseuds/ImGayandTired20
Summary: Some people had it easy, with being able to write on their bodies and contact each other that way. Others had no ability to see color until making eye contact with their soulmates. The worst he had ever heard about the case of connection was that if your soulmate was unfaithful or loved someone else, you cried stars until you went blind. There was no set way for finding them.--AU where soulmates exist but everyone has their own soulmate connection? Hell yeah, pass it over. Anyways, I don't see a lot of Adam/Curtis/Shiro specific fits so here's one. It's short, and kind of decent, but I like it.
Relationships: Adam/Curtis/Shiro (Voltron), Haha the relationships are wonky, Hunk/Pidge | Katie Holt, Pre-Keith/Lance (Voltron) - Relationship
Series: Soulmate Works [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2134458
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	"Keep it Up, Okay? I Love You."

Soulmates were a strange thing in this world. You were connected to them from the moment you were born, but that didnʻt mean you necessarily had to choose them in the future. Of course, most people saw that if you turned your back on your soulmates, you were some sort of heathen or devil, and so it was always heavily implied by all corners of the world to follow what fate has created for you, and to seek your soulmate. 

That was a bit hard for Curtis, considering that he seemed to have two soulmates, not just one. And to make matters worse, finding your soulmate was like a deck of cards: wild. Not everyone had the same way of connecting to their fated ones. Some people had it easy, with being able to write on their bodies and contact each other that way. Others had no ability to see color until making eye contact with their soulmates. The worst he had ever heard about the case of connection was that if your soulmate was unfaithful or loved someone else, you cried stars until you went blind. There was no set way for finding them.

But Curt? Not only was he born unable to see color, but every time someone touched him or he initiated physical contact, he would only feel stings, pinches, and pains. He could never hug his parents, and he wasnʻt able to high five his friends or throw his arm over their shoulders like they did each other. For Curtis, there was a barrier between him and those around him, one that he had to build up himself and follow through in order to subdue the pain. It was terrible. 

To add to that mess of soulmate connections, he couldnʻt speak. Despite having all of his (perfectly functioning) vocal chords, the doctors told him his soulmate connection was not allowing him to make any form of noise. It was most likely that his voice was the voice of consciousness for his fated ones, and once he met them, his voice would return to him. Curtis was both hopeful and nervous. 

Not being able to speak was not easy, but he became accustomed to others not understanding him, and being confused with him until he explained his soulmate situation. Life continued to go by just fine like this, and so Curtis anxiously waited to find those who had his sight and touch. 

Along the way, he met a young boy named Lance McClain, who had decided in middle school that they would be best friends. He didnʻt mind; Lance was an eccentric and funny boy who secretly had a soft side that showed his undying loyalty to his loved ones. The two grew up together alongside Lanceʻs other friends - Hunk and Pidge, who coincidentally were soulmates to each other - and they worked hard and laughed together all the way up to their college years, where they currently were, sitting on a side bench in the library near its entrance.

Lance was completely focused on his next essay for Literature; despite being a silly and whiny kid, Lance was actually very hard-working. Meanwhile, Curtis simply worked on his physics, which came rather easily to him and he had finished in no time. They were immersed in an intense silence, one of which charged up the people around them to work hard and get their own work done, many other students sitting around the area.

Curtis had just looked up and was taking a mental break when he looked down one of the many shelves and spotted a man with a pile of books in his hand. That man...he had seen him somewhere before, no? The other seemed to have light skin and dark hair to match, hair styled with an undercut and a fluffy bang falling right down the middle of his face. He was strongly built, with a large chest and shoulders, and a jaw that could cut for days. The man seemed to be extremely focused on finding a particular book to add to his collection, scanning and reaching out to pull and read different documents off the shelves. 

It took some time for Curtis to realize he was checking the other out, and so shook his head and turned back to read over and check his homework, but whispers started erupting around him that he couldnʻt ignore.

“Is that-? It is!!”

“Oh my god, I canʻt believe - “

“Doesnʻt he have some expensive laptop or something? Why is he looking around here for books - “

“Itʻs Shirogane!” 

Curtisʻs head snapped up, suddenly realizing something. Thatʻs who he was! Super popular jock and valedictorian of his school, Takashi Shirogane! The guy everyone wanted to be with, whether as a friend or as something more, he was loved and respected by everyone in their college. The guy was basically a god. 

“Probably here with his boyfriend or something,” Lance said to him from the side, eyes still concentrated on his essay paper. “He found his soulmate last year, didnʻt he?” 

Curtis nodded and looked back to Shirogane. He was now walking out from the shelves, and towards their general area. Whispering about them started to increase. 

Shirogane suddenly looked towards them, and the talking quieted as some stared, while others looked away in embarrassment. He smiled a perfect smile and waved, causing part of the vicinity to swoon, and walked away to a nearby corner, where his boyfriend sat with another pile of books already at the table. 

“Called it,” Lance said, writing something out on his laptop.

Curtis continued to watch the pair, unsure on why his mind had suddenly become so transfixed on them. The other that was seated was Adam Kropp, Shiroganeʻs soulmate and third-best in the entire school for athletics and academics. He was third-best only because the daughter of the schoolʻs dean - Allura Altea - was incredibly smart, charismatic, and strong. Seriously, she was terrifying in a perfect way. 

Adam seemed incredibly immersed in the piece of work he was reading, taking a few sips from a coffee he bought from a nearby cafe while reading page after page. Shirogane ruffled his hair and laughed at his otherʻs antics, dropping the books down while he took a seat. Adam glanced up to say hello, and then went back to reading. 

He had never actually seen the two around campus before. Curtis had either missed the two just as he showed up, or they were in completely different parts of the campus from him. He could only really hear rumors of them and see their pictures in the albums and post boards around campus. 

But now, he gazed at them from across the library entrance, watching them study and interact with each other like they had lived with the other for ages. His eyes couldnʻt really leave them, and so he continued his not-so-secret staring until Adamʻs eyes shot up and made direct eye contact with him. Curtis blinked, but he didnʻt look away, not yet. 

Adam stared back for a while too, then decided to flash him a small smile before turning back to his work to concentrate. Curtis blinked again, and he could have sworn he had seen something strange in the otherʻs eyes. He turned back to Lance to ask if he could see the same thing, but he froze. 

Lance had hair that was a strange color to him, dark and deep and shining in the light of the window. Then Lance had skin similar to that of a different tone but the same color. Curtis stared and stared until Lance looked up, eyes quizzical on why his best friend was seemingly off today. His eyes gleamed a beautiful color that showed like the sky outside. 

Curtis was seeing color for the first time in his life. 

~ 

As Adam and Shiro left the doors of the library, Adam blinked, head dipping to look at the place they had just exited. Shiro leaned over and wrapped an arm around him. “Something up?”

Adam hummed contemplatively, and answered. “No, just felt a little off in there.” 

It took him awhile to realize why. 

~ 

The next time Curtis saw them, he only saw Shirogane at the library. This time, the other was searching the shelves again, but seemed a bit more distracted. His violet eyes (Lance taught Curtis what each color was) would roam from book to book spastically, light up when he found one to his liking, then dim after he flipped through the pages to find the book fruitless. He repeated this several times down the same shelf, muttering to himself; Curtis hoped he was okay. 

Turning, he began to walk down a couple more shelves himself, looking for a book that would help his upcoming history project that he paired with Lance to do. Lance was in charge of spectacle, Curtis was in charge of research. 

As he continued to look, a figure promptly turned around the corner where he was standing and knocked straight into him. Curtis grabbed onto the shelves to keep himself up, momentarily stumbling for a few seconds. A voice nearby said, “Oh gosh - Iʻm so sorry, Iʻve been out of focus today - are you alright?”

Curtis looked up to find no one other than Shirogane again, hands stretched out warily in front of him in case the other fell. 

Unsure of what to do and completely flustered, Curtis shook his head and raised his own hand in peace, showing he was alright. The paler smiled and nodded before excusing himself and walking around him to go down the stretch of books behind them.

When Curtis left the building to go back to his shared apartment with Lance, he couldnʻt help but notice how warm Shiroganeʻs chest had been when they had bumped into each other. 

~ 

While cleaning up the dinner Adam had prepared for them that night, Shiro had paused and groaned. His other turned to him, worried. They locked eyes after a few moments of silent cursing and muttering. Shiroʻs eyes clearly showed regret and a bit of frustration. 

“I bumped into him today.”

~ 

Now having fully met both of his soulmates, Curtis wasnʻt exactly sure what to do. He didnʻt know if they actually knew who he was, or if they were looking for him. Would they even want him? Two was a much easier relationship to handle than three. 

He wouldnʻt deny it: he was scared. He waited his whole life for this, was even expecting it to happen (later on), but now that it was here? Curtis was extremely anxious about it. 

Not only that, but he officially had his voice back! He could feel his vocal chords like nothing else before, and they were begging to sing and talk and laugh like everyone else did. But he was afraid of using that too - after all, going on for such a long time without a voice, you sort of get used to it. All of his other ques and ways of communicating, he couldnʻt just let go of them so easily! 

His voice sounded strange to him as well. It was a gentle and soft tenor, one that would remind him almost of Hunkʻs voice, but smoother. He would need to adjust to it to recognize it as his own, but he didnʻt use it too much anyways. 

The first time Lance heard it was when he cracked a joke, and Curtis burst out laughing right beside him. He blinked for a few seconds, before bombarding his older friend with questions. The young man was so excited, he didnʻt even let the other actually speak until he had run out of breath. Curtis decided to use his voice then to explain what had most likely happened. 

Lance immediately wanted him to confront Shirogane and Adam about it, but his friend shook his head, not explaining his own choice on the matter, but it was clear he was worried about it. The younger decided to leave it for now, but knew that eventually something would have to be done, and Curtis may or may not be able to take the first step unless he had to...

An idea popped up into Lanceʻs head. A messy, brilliant, completely Lance McClain original idea. 

~ 

Shiro had no idea who or what he was even looking at as he left his last class. He just wanted to go home and get a nap in before dinner. 

“Psst, hey - you!” 

The figure standing a couple feet away beckoned to him, beady blue eyes peeking out from a large trench coat and fedora. It looked to probably be a sophomore, but at this point, Shiro didn’t know anything. He slowly moved toward the figure, hands up. 

“Um, hi…?” 

“You’re Shirogane, right?” 

“Yes, that would be me.”

“Of course.” 

The figure rummaged through the pockets of their coat, fiddling for a few seconds before pulling out a small stock card and handing it to Shiro. The card was handmade with intricate writing and decoration, all gold and blue pen. In larger writing, the card asks, “Looking for Your Soulmate? Come on Over!” with an address in smaller writing at the bottom. It also names a time and date, confirming Shiro’s suspicions that this was made specifically for this event. Looking over the card once more, the older man looks up, violet eyes gazing confusedly as he tries to find words to say. Before he can however, the figure raises a hand for silence, then takes a large breath in and out.

“I’ll make sure he’s there, I just need you to be there too. And Adam.”

“Wait, what - “

“Oh, and bring some lilies. Those are his favorite.”

“Wait! You - how - who?”

The figure had started to walk away, all suave and mysterious before he sighed and dropped his shoulders, turning back after Shiro’s sputtering. He could hear the soft smile in his voice when the other spoke, “His name is Curtis. He’s my best friend. Please don’t hurt him.” 

~

Upon their first meeting, Adam & Takashi both knew they had a third soulmate. Along with their inability to see color as well as feeling pain upon any physical touch with other beings, there was a voice in their head that was always a comfort, supporting them and telling them what they should and should not do. That voice never went away, even when they bumped into each other at their dorm and looked at each other for the first time, realizing that it hadn’t hurt and that their eyes weren’t the usual black and grey that they once were. The voice had been a soft honey tenor, and was the comfort that they had grown up with since an early age. 

When Adam had lost his voice of consciousness on that fateful day 3 weeks ago, he had almost been petrified, wanting to know where the voice that had been his source of warmth for so long had gone. If he hadnʻt had Takashi with him at the time, he may have had a full breakdown. 

Takashi too, had been a little put off without the soft voice whispering to him in his mind. It was like something was filled in, but he didnʻt know what, so he was left wondering what difference it made. When he lost the voice, he understood what Adam had said before about feeling the silence in his head. 

He thought about that once more as he gripped a small bouquet of lilies in his hand, Adam hanging onto his arm as they walked the few blocks from their apartment to the flat. His other squeezed his bicep in assurance before turning to speak to the little straggler that decided to follow them. 

“Keith, I really don’t think you have anything to worry about, it’s just another university student.” 

“Luring you with news about your soulmate! We don’t know if he actually knows the guy or not!” Keith answered back, crossing and folding his arms as he picked up his pace to catch up to the couple. Takashi simply laughed at his brother’s antics and waved his hand to clear the air.

The building that the address led to was now looming above them, and with some more reassurances and shy smiles, the three entered the doors. 

~

“What’s he doing here?” Lance says as he squints at Keith, arms folded as he holds the door open with his foot. In turn, Keith squints back, eyes filled with distrust as he stands behind his brother. 

“I’m making sure this isn’t some elaborate prank and that you’re not trying to mug or murder my brother and his soulmate.”

Lance scoffs, beckoning them in. “Oh please, have you seen these two? And me?? They could barely lift a finger and I’d be down in 5 seconds flat.” 

To that, Keith huffs a small laugh, but finally steps inside the small hall that leads into the apartment. The small hall was clean and nice, the small entrance leading into two separate rooms. On the left was the living room, also clean with a light couch and decorative coffee table set in the middle. On the table was an array of movies and video games, and across from the table a small tv was turned on, the screen showing the game console booting up.

While peering into the living room, the three visitors were unaware of movement going on in the kitchen across from them until the microwave beeped, startling them. Lance snickered quietly while turning to poke his head into the room. Near the dining table, Curtis stood by the microwave, opening the small door and letting out the buttery fragrance of popcorn to waft into the hallway. As he pulled out the popcorn bag to pour it into a bowl, Lance called out to him. 

“Hey Curtis, they’re here! You need any help preparing the snacks?” 

Curtis smiled and shook his head no, waving his roommate away. 

“Alright, well, I’ll be going then! See you later!” 

Curtis waved goodbye as Lance stepped back into the hallway to the confused faces of his guests. As he puts on a jacket near the doorway, he explains, “I didn’t exactly tell Curt that it was you guys coming, since he probably would have insisted no and avoided you. He’d also probably use me as some sorta scapegoat if I stuck around, so as much as I’d love to see this, we gotta go.” 

“What do you mean ‘we’ - ” Just as he finished his sentence, Keith was tugged forward by Lance and propelled out the door, who quickly squealed out a goodbye before softly closing the door, leaving Shiro & Adam in silence except for the movement in the kitchen. 

After staring at the door for a few seconds, a voice oh so familiar to them filtered in from the other room. 

“Lance?” 

Smooth like honey, the voice softly calls from the kitchen.

“Lance, did you leave already? I forgot I needed - “

When Curtis steps under the archway and into the hallway, he stutters through his next words at the men in front of him. Shiro and Adam equally stare back in shock; even though they were expecting this, they were in no way truly prepared to meet their third soulmate. After a bit of silent floundering, Shiro shuffles forward with the bouquet of lilies in his hand. Curtis startles but doesn’t move away, instead glancing between the flowers and Shiro as he gets closer.

“These are for you,” Shiro says, extending his arms to present the bouquet. “Lance, um, he told us they were your favorites.” 

“O-Oh! Yeah, they are! Thank you! Um, I’ll just put these in a vase really quick.”

As Curits goes back into the kitchen, he beckons the two to follow and seats them at the dining table as he fills a glass vase for the lilies. The other two follow diligently, silently watching their soulmate move around while they wait. When he finishes, he brings both the vase and the bowl of popcorn to the table and places them down, pulling back just as quickly to wring his hands. His nerves were too jumpy for him to sit down, but he knew he couldn’t just up and go while they were in his & Lance’s studio, so he stood in place as he eyed his visitors with nervous eyes. 

Adam noticed his anxious antics and lightly tapped the table as he spoke,“Why don’t you sit down? This is your place after all. Speaking of which, we’re sorry for barging in like this without you knowing, we didn’t know Lance didn’t tell you.”

“No, no that’s okay! I probably would have run away if he did, but he knows me well enough to avoid that...um, I didn’t prepare a lot so I don’t have dinner ready but if you guys want popcorn or candy for now I can make something real quick?”

“That’d be great, but we should probably talk first, yeah?” Shiro chuckles a bit at the end, wanting to soothe the worry in Curtis’s brow. In turn, Curtis nods and sits on the chair Adam pulls out for him, offering a thanks before going back to staring at the flowers on the table. Another awkward silence graces them.

“I, uh...Iʻm sorry,” Curtis mumbled out, scratching the back of his head. “Iʻm not used to using my voice a lot, and I don’t know what to say.” 

“It’s okay, we kind of sprung up on you. To be honest…” Adam hesitates, meeting eyes with Shiro before turning to Curtis with soft eyes. “I don’t really know what to say either. I’ve always known I’ve had two soulmates, and meeting Shiro was a shock in its own way, but I’ve never thought about how I’d meet you.” 

“Not to say that we never wanted to meet you.” Shiro adds before Adam’s words can come off strangely. “We just never expected to meet you so early. I suppose we’re just a really lucky trio.”

Shiro’s smile comforts Curtis and he chuckles a bit, a small smile on his lips as he furrowed his eyebrows, trying to find the words to answer. “I never expected it either, and finding out I had two soulmates had always been a surprise... When I found out it was you two, I guess I was just overwhelmed. You two are so perfect, and you’ve been together longer...I didn’t think you’d want a third party even if fate decided it.” 

Almost immediately, Adam & Shiro shake their heads, Adam shouting a small ‘No way!’ as he leaned closer to his third soulmate.

“Are you kidding?” Shiro laughs. “With that voice in my head, I fell in love with you first! I was so shocked when I lost it a couple weeks ago, it felt so strange.”

“R-Really? But we’ve never met until now! How could you fall in love like that?”

“Well, it wasn’t like we fell in love fully, but after so many years, you tend to get attached.” Adam answers. “Your voice got me through a lot of rough times. I don’t know what I’d have done without it...and now that we’ve found you, I don’t know what we’d do without you either.” 

“One step at a time, Adam. We still have to make him fall for us.” Shiro chastises. 

Curtis glances at both of them before a hopeful, lovestruck smile finds itself on his face. 

“Something tells me that won’t be too difficult to do.” 

Shiro & Adam beam at the statement, happy beyond words as their final soulmate tentatively reaches out to grab their hands. In that moment, everything feels as if it’s landed in place, just the way it should be with the three of them sitting there together. A content silence blankets them as they simply enjoy each other's presence, small glances and assuring smiles thrown here and there. 

Suddenly, Curtis bolts up, surprising his soulmates at his spontaneity.

“It’s movie night!” He cheers, grabbing and pulling the other two up and ushering them to the living room, reaching for the popcorn as they pass by it. Sitting on the couch now, they watch as Curtis moves around the room, bringing blankets and plopping it on their laps.

“Lance & I usually watch movies and play video games with the others by now, but since he’s not here, how about we watch something together? Maybe it can be like our first date?” 

The two perk up again at the word date, Shiro chuckling at the puppy look on Curtis’s face. “Sure,” he says, “But next date, I’m taking you both out to celebrate.” 

“No way, I’m choosing what we do for the next date, and we’re going to the planetarium! You like stars, right? If not, we can go somewhere else - ” 

Adam hisses and glares as he turns to Shiro, who whistles innocently as if he hadn’t just elbowed his boyfriend in the side. Curtis watches the two poke and prod at each other with a kind smile, already looking forward to their second date. He starts a movie as he goes to sit between them, effectively stopping their quarrel as he makes himself comfortable. 

“One step at a time, okay?” 

~ 

The credits for the third movie begins to roll on screen as their eyelids become heavy, sleep calling for them as the day makes way for night. The trash from before had already been thrown away, the only items left on the living room table being the stack of movies, the remote, and the empty popcorn bowl. Curtis idly thinks he’ll clean them up later once he’s got some shut eye cuddled between his soulmates and now boyfriends. Just as he’s about to fall asleep, he hears Shiro whisper something in the silence. 

“Do you know what one of my favorite things your voice would say to me when I needed it?”

“What’s that?”

On his other side, Adam speaks up, voice tired but fond as he whispers back the answer he knows so well. 

“ ‘Keep it up, okay? I love you.’ ”

**Author's Note:**

> Is it just me, or does anyone else think that Curtis and Lance would get along really well? I imagine them as Lance being the chaotic gossip girl while Curtis is the calm mother who will hold him by the scruff of his neck when he tries to run into trouble. I would think Curtis becoming apart of the group would be rather easy! 
> 
> Also, I may or may not write a Keith/Lance fic following this AU?? I'll probably write more soulmate fics because as much as I don't believe in forever soulmates, I'm fond of writing about them, but I was thinking of specifically following this story up with a Keith/Lance one (I actually originally wrote this fic with hints of Klance in it, but scrapped the idea because their soulmate connection didn't feel like a good one to me). 
> 
> Anyways, thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this short fic and have a good rest of your day/week/month/year!


End file.
